Times are hard. Covid-19 stalks the land. People are out of work. Homelessness is rising. Politics is splitting the country apart. And now this![more]
The campaign for President of the United States is in full swing. We've endured two--mostly virtual--national party conventions. (Full disclosure: I didn't watch either.) And the parties have issued...[more]
The Daily Examiner, part of the Murdoch News Corp empire in New South Wales, reported my demise on 13 August.[more]
Oy vey! I just concluded a three month search for what I consider a reasonably priced Chevy Bolt EV. What an experience.[more]
The long-awaited DCFC station at the Inyokern airport is finally live after years of waiting.[more]
What you need to know to lease a Bolt with year-end sales promotions. This presentation was made for friends in Bakersfield considering an EV.[more]
Leasing a car is like renting one--you're paying for the use of a vehicle that's owned by someone else.[more]
On this date in 1941 an ungainly wind turbine atop Vermont’s Grandpa’s Knob fed electricity into the lines of Central Vermont Public Service Company. This was the first time in North America that a...[more]
Guinness Book of Records is considering a new category--world's longest running or oldest megawatt-scale wind turbine. The question was thrown at me by Britta Jensen, one of the operators of...[more]
“We believe that in 10 years’ time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country, with our target rising from 30 gigawatts to 40 gigawatts,” he will say. “Your kettle, your washing...
A question arises whether large wind turbines are more or less materially intensive than small wind turbines. The answer, as with most things in life, isn't that simple. [more]
PG&E, which pled guilty to 84 cases of manslaughter this past spring, has been banking on regulatory inattention to increase profits while ignoring risks to residents and ratepayers from its aging...
It would be tempting to describe last week’s nuclear scandals — in three states — as something out of the Wild West. But Al Capone’s Chicago would be a more accurate analogy.
Paper by energy economist Steve Smiley for the American Solar Energy Society's “Solar 2020” virtual conference on how to move Traverse City, Michigan to 100% renewable energy. The proposes a mix of...[more]
French energy giant Total says it is writing off $9.3-billion worth of oilsands assets in Alberta and cancelling its membership in the Calgary-based Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
AEE's community renewables podcast series.
8th episode of AEE's podcasts on community renewables. All are worth a listen. This episode exams what went wrong in Ontario.
The scheme has been inspired by the success of over 200 community energy projects across the country and allows local residents to invest from £100 up to a maximum of £22,000 in local renewable...
This week, a 13-year experiment in harnessing wind power using kites and modified gliders finally closes down for good.
I've received a portion of Intertek's 2016 power performance test of Ogin's Model 2.2 150-kW ducted wind turbine "over the transom" as we say. The much hyped and controversial device delivered its...[more]
Flamboyant ducted wind turbine venture Ogin died a costly death in 2017, taking with it hundreds of millions in investments. The debacle tarnished the reputations of Technology Review, Arpa (DOE's...[more]
The Ukrainian parliament has voted to amend the feed-in tariff on renewable energy production, with 228 deputies voting in favor of the changes on July 21.
Ukraine first established a feed-in tariff to support renewables’ development in 2008. Technical restrictions were later introduced which excluded all but a short list of businessmen from entering...
They are words to chill the soul of solar project owners when uttered in relation to feed-in tariffs: retroactive FIT cuts. A Ukrainian government smarting at the cost of funding an overly successful...
The Ukrainian government’s conference rooms have been stuffier than usual lately, as policymakers and renewable energy industry representatives attempted to thrash out a compromise to reduce the...
While geothermal energy is a viable alternative to curb emissions for heating and cooling, fears and high costs have limited its expansion. But Bavaria and now Baden Wurttemberg are forging ahead....
Martyn Taylor has made a wonderful video about the development and preservation of the English windmill. Sales of the video will go to preservation efforts.[more]
Martin Frey's wonderful little guidebook to the Energiewende in Germany is now available in English. Germany - Renewable Energy Experience Baedeker Guides. Frey's book is highly recommended for...[more]
Gregory Jaczko was an outsider. He wasn’t from the industry. But somehow he was appointed to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, eventually becoming its Chair. His 2019 book, Confessions of a...[more]
Times change. People die. The rest forget. The past is lost and with it the knowledge we gained at so much cost.[more]
Hermann Honnef and his dream of giant wind turbines powering Hitler's Third Reich until the SS quashed his plans. Auf Deutsch. Rare photos of Honnef's vision and key players in the Reich's program...
Budding Youtube channel by Australian Rosemary Barnes dubbed Wind Engineering with Rosie. [more]
Scientists at the KIT Energy Center at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology say there is enough lithium dissolved in the groundwater extracted by German geothermal heating and electricity...
Bavaria has 20 deep-well plants and more in planning. Now its neighbor state in the south, Baden-Wuerttemberg, is picking up the thread. Deep geothermal energy is to become a cornerstone of its...
With the preparation of new presidential regulation of new feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy, the Indonesian geothermal sector is hoping it will provide sufficient incentive for much needed...
Further confirmation of Bernard Chabot's "Silent Revolution" in large wind turbine design.
Contrary to the ideas promulgated by some opponents of wind generation, most of the substantial investment in wind farms in South Australia is not being paid for by taxpayers or electricity consumers...
At the heart of the problem has been governments’ trust in market solutions without a sharp eye on the shortfalls in market performance and without adequate leadership on the long term outcome the...
Unless changed by DOER, or the legislature, the latest version of SMART erects strong barriers to moving effectively toward 100% renewable power in the long run, and will cost many renewable jobs,...
The Solar Trade Association (STA) has welcomed the Labour Party’s announcement this week that it will support over a million new domestic PV installations across the UK, through a mixture of fair...
Minnesota’s community solar program hit a record 460 megawatts of operational capacity in November 2018. The chart above shows the progress of projects through the program since August 2015, and the...
